"This must be it."

Liu Ye said as a grand estate came into view. There weren't any extravagant fountains like its neighbors but what it lacked in decoration it made up for in sheer size. Its massive sunbaked walls towered over the surrounding buildings. It was the second largest building in the city, just behind the main palace.

Liu Ye was making micro-adjustments to his clothing and disguise technique as he walked down the sandy road. He wore plain gold earrings and 2 gold bracelets on each hand. Meng Xue was close behind wearing a pair of emerald earrings with a formal dress. The gates to the Alyan estate were wide open as lightly armed guards stood at the entrance to check for invitations. Meng Xue's face fell as she saw a large number of partygoers lined up at the gate. She muttered under her breath.

"I hate crowded places."

Liu Ye scanned the partygoers carefully but didn't find Shi Jianhui, Song Ren, or Shi Huinai among the lined-up guests. The line was quickly dwindling and Liu Ye was starting to worry that he had gotten the timing wrong. The last person in line had walked past the guards without a hitch and there was still no sign of that mysterious senior. Although he was fretting inwardly, Liu Ye didn't show anything and stood patiently. The time it took for a pot of tea to brew passed by and there was still nothing. Meng Xue turned to Liu Ye and started to question him.

"Are you sure this senior of yours is real?"

Liu Ye ignored her and continued to look around in the dark. It wasn't long until a tall heroic figure caught his eye. As the figure got closer, it was revealed to be Song Ren trotting over to Liu Ye with a wide smile on his face. Two figures weren't too far behind him and were quickly revealed to be Shi Jianhui and Shi Huinai.

"Old sir! It's good to see you again!"

Song Ren was extremely enthusiastic with his greeting. He stopped a few steps before Liu Ye and cupped his fist. Liu Ye greeted him in turn with a smile. Meng Xue walked forward and inspected Song Ren before turning to Liu Ye and commenting.

"So this is the young man you met yesterday?"

Seeing Song Ren's curious gaze, Liu Ye smiled and gave his explanation.

"This is my wife, Xie Chen. After I told her about you, she wanted to come along. She kept nagging me about how our child would be like you by now if we had tried harder."

Ignoring Meng Xue's fierce glare, Liu Ye kept his gaze on Song Ren. Song Ren saw Meng Xue's fierce glaring at Liu Ye but pushed it off as merely her embarrassment at Liu Ye's forwardness. At this point, Shi Jianhui and Shi Huinai were right next to Song Ren. Liu Ye immediately bowed deeply and respectfully gave his greeting.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"This one gives his respects to the great Senior."

Meng Xue was a bit shocked but she quickly bowed and greeted Shi Jianhui in a similar manner. Shi Jianhui smiled gently.

"I'm not as great as you say. Today, we're all guests of the Alyan Patriarch. Come, we shouldn't let our hosts wait."

Saying his part, Shi Jianhui waved his hand and a gust of wind made Liu Ye and Meng Xue stand straight up once more. Both of them were stunned for a few moments before they quickly followed behind the trio. Liu Ye and Meng Xue could barely hold back their terrified expressions. Meng Xue kept stealing glances at Liu Ye. Both of them had broken into a cold sweat but Liu Ye seemed to be more impacted between the two. He was the one who had the most interaction with Shi Jianhui but it seemed that Liu Ye had still underestimated Shi Jianhui's abilities. The only thing that was holding him from abandoning the plan was that it didn't hinge on making a deal with Shi Jianhui but only hoped to gain his favor. It seemed that Lin Ming's caution turned out to be prudent.

When Shi Jianhui flashed the pendant, the guards' expressions were filled with shock and awe. They immediately called for the Chief Steward who dropped all his duties and ran out to personally greet him.

"The Patriarch is busy greeting the guests in the hall. I hope you don't mind having me as a guide instead, distinguished guests."

The Chief Steward was extremely nervous and curious. He had heard from the Patriarch that this specific guest was a good friend of the old Patriarch, but he didn't receive a response when he asked about his background. Although it didn't really matter to him what the guest's background was, he hadn't become the Chief Steward for no reason. He had merely asked the question so he could better accommodate the guest's preferences.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. But, may I ask if those are weapons?"

The Chief Steward asked as he eyed the sheathed sword on Song Ren's waist and in Shi Huinai's embrace. Shi Jianhui replied politely.

"I can have my disciples hand them over to you for safeguarding if you'd like."

The Chief Steward was surprised at their willingness to cooperate and promptly called over a guard.

"Please take great care of these weapons."

The guard walked over to Song Ren who handed the sword over with one hand and patted the guard on the shoulder with a wide grin. Shi Huinai held a cold expression as she handed over her sword with both hands. Her gaze was unwilling as she placed it into the guard's grasp and it didn't leave the sword until he turned around and blocked her view. The Chief Steward turned his gaze toward the ebony box on Shi Jianhui.

"If you'd like, I can have someone take care of that box-"

"There's no need."

The Chief Steward started to politely offer to take care of it, but Shi Jianhui interjected with a gentle but firm smile. His gaze swept over Liu Ye and Meng Xue but didn't linger as he didn't find any weapons or oddities on them. Showing a polite smile, the Chief Steward led the group into the estate.

"Welcome to the Alyan estate, distinguished guests! I'll help you with understanding some of the premises before we go to meet the Patriarch. Before us, we have the main hall. The estate is divided into five main parts. The clan residence is straight ahead, the guest rooms are in the second hallway on the left, the servant's quarters are in the first hallway on the left, the kitchen is on the second hallway on the right, and the rest of the rooms are in the first hallway on the right."

The Chief Steward took a right into the first hallway with the group of five following after at an appropriate distance. Many large rooms lined both sides of the hallway. There were rooms for resting, art, lectures, and even a library. When they reached the very end, the group of five was taken to a grand courtyard where all the partygoers were standing at the edges having drinks, eating dainty snacks, and socializing. In the middle of the courtyard were many long tables for all the guests prepped with silverware and porcelain plates. At the end of the courtyard was a raised platform. There were five small tables in a row with the middle one holding a distinctly larger chair than the others. It was engraved with a coiled snake that had a ruby embedded in its eye. The chair itself was plated with white gold and the cushions were encased in fine silk.

Standing on the steps to the raised platform was the middle-aged restaurant owner, he looked extremely handsome in formal attire. He wore white silk gloves and his black hair was combed back. A patch with the Alyan crest, a coiled snake, was emblazoned over his heart. A warm smile was plastered on his face as he talked to the guests that surrounded him. They all wore expensive clothing and jewelry. Twelve people were surrounding him and three of them even had royal signet rings. The three royals kept each other at a distance but showed no hostility as they spoke to the middle-aged owner with great enthusiasm.